The Struggle for Egypt

From Nasser to Tahrir Square

Steven A. Cook

Examines the prime reasons for Egypt's underdevelopment, authoritarianism and its contribution to transnational jihadism

Challenges prevailing assumptions among Western observers and government officials about the source of Egyptian instability

Presents one of the first books in the last two decades on both Egyptian politics and U.S. foreign policy

The Struggle for Egypt

From Nasser to Tahrir Square

Steven A. Cook

Description

The recent revolution in Egypt has shaken the Arab world to its roots. The most populous Arab country and the historical center of Arab intellectual life, Egypt is a linchpin of the US's Middle East strategy, receiving more aid than any nation except Israel. This is not the first time that the world and has turned its gaze to Egypt, however. A half century ago, Egypt under Nasser became the putative leader of the Arab world and a beacon for all developing nations. Yet in the decades prior to the 2011 revolution, it was ruled over by a sclerotic regime plagued by nepotism and corruption. During that time, its economy declined into near shambles, a severely overpopulated Cairo fell into disrepair, and it produced scores of violent Islamic extremists such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atta.

In The Struggle for Egypt, Steven Cook--a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations--explains how this parlous state of affairs came to be, why the revolution occurred, and where Egypt might be headed next. A sweeping account of Egypt in the modern era, it incisively chronicles all of the nation's central historical episodes: the decline of British rule, the rise of Nasser and his quest to become a pan-Arab leader, Egypt's decision to make peace with Israel and ally with the United States, the assassination of Sadat, the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, and--finally--the demonstrations that convulsed Tahrir Square and overthrew an entrenched regime.

Throughout Egypt's history, there has been an intense debate to define what Egypt is, what it stands for, and its relation to the world. Egyptians now have an opportunity to finally answer these questions. Doing so in a way that appeals to the vast majority of Egyptians, Cook notes, will be difficult but ultimately necessary if Egypt is to become an economically dynamic and politically vibrant society.

The Struggle for Egypt

From Nasser to Tahrir Square

Steven A. Cook

Author Information

Steven A. Cook is the Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. A leading expert on Arab and Turkish politics, Cook is the author of Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey.

The Struggle for Egypt

From Nasser to Tahrir Square

Steven A. Cook

Reviews and Awards

Gold Medal Winner in The Washington Institute Book Prize

"With meticulous historical context and the acumen of a political scientist, Cook, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, weaves together a narrative drawn from archives, interviews and his own firsthand reporting during a decade of visits to Egypt . . . What Cook has given us is a scholar's well-informed, analytical history, which offers invaluable insights to anyone interested in how Egypt came to its present impasse . . . a substantial and engaging book." --New York Times Book Review

"Incredibly vivid...the single best book on Egypt"--Fareed Zakaria

"[An] excellent new book." --The Christian Science Monitor

"From his wanderings on the Arab streets of Cairo (and dozens of other Arab and Turkish towns), Cook brings the revolution to life. But he does so with the depth of knowledge of someone who has understood the dynamics of Egyptian - indeed, Arab autocracy - for years." --Slate

"[A] detailed account of the build-up to revolution and how recent developments were organized . . . Cook, who is intimately familiar with Egypt and its political and cultural history, begins from Nasser's 1952 coup, providing broad context for his discussion." --Kirkus Reviews

"A timely and easily accessible account of Egypt's modern history ... Beyond Cook's analysis of Nasser's, Sadat's, and Mubarak's struggles to stay in power, build regime legitimacy, and extend the government's reach, The Struggle for Egypt also contains fascinating chapters on Washington's relationship with Cairo and how it also ultimately helped undermine the old order ... Ultimately, The Struggle for Egypt leaves the reader less surprised by the events of 2011, which are still buffeting Egypt. Instead, one is more startled by the fact that the reign of the Free Officers and the system erected and maintained by Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak held together for as long as it did." --Mediterranean Quarterly

"Tell[s] the story of Egypt in rich detail, beginning with Nasser and on to Sadat and Mubarak." --Nancy Youssef, Washington Week

"Jumping from the chaotic byways of Cairo to the highest reaches of international diplomacy, this providentially-timed account of modern Egyptian history combines immersion journalism with insightful policy analysis. A Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Cook translates an insider's perspective for a general readership." --Publishers Weekly

"Cook's timely, well-written history offers the best up to date review of Egypt's modern political history through the opening months of the revolution that brought down Hosni Mubarak. His account of how the 1952 Egyptian revolution produced the Nasserist authoritarian regime is more relevant today than ever, as is his discussion of the final years of the decaying Mubarak regime -- including intriguing new evidence about Gamal Mubarak's activities. " --ForeignPolicy.com, Best Books on the Middle East, 2011

"The Struggle For Egypt, is a timely, well-researched and lucid political history that sweeps back to the origins of the praetorian dynasty that has ruled Egypt since the 1952 military coup." --The Economist

"Cook's Struggle for Egypt is not just another Arab Spring book but one with lasting relevance for Egypt watchers. With 30 pages of footnotes, a 40-page bibliography and a comprehensive index, it is full of useful reference material, while personal anecdotes provide local flavor and add to the overall appeal . . . Cook's exploration of the history of the regime and the dynamics it produced help place current events in context and provide important insights about how the main protagonists are likely to respond to the evolving order. Even those who know Egypt well will learn something new from this fresh presentation of events." -- iddle East Policy

"Cook is a compelling writer who has a knack for memorable openings and knows how to appeal to both a scholarly audience and the interested general reader. The treatment of the recent political changes in The Struggle for Egypt is a master-class in how popular historians can cover sudden developments while still maintaining a focus on a longer period." -- Matthew Partridge, London School of Economics (June 2012)

"This is an excellent introduction to Egypt's politics and the 2011 revolution."--CHOICE

"The Struggle for Egypt is obviously not a rush job written to respond to the recent high-profile events in Egypt. Instead, it is clearly well researched and well argued and is the result of considerable work and effort." --Mediterranean Quarterly

The Struggle for Egypt

From Nasser to Tahrir Square

Steven A. Cook

From Our Blog

By Steven A. Cook As Cairo's citizens drove along the Autostrad [last] week, they were greeted with four enormous billboards featuring pictures of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With Turkish and Egyptian flags, the signs bore the message, "With United Hands for the Future." Erdogan's visit marks a bold development in Turkey's leadership in the region. The hero's welcome he received at the airport reinforced the popular perception: Turkey is a positive force, uniquely positioned to guide the Middle East's ongoing transformation.

By Steven A. Cook If February 11, 2011 demonstrated the very best of Egypt, then October 9, 2011 demonstrated the very worst of Egypt. The only way to describe what unfolded in front of the state television building (and subsequently Tahrir Square), where Copts were protesting over not-so-subtle official efforts to stoke sectarian tension over a church being constructed in Aswan, was an anti-Christian pogrom. The death toll stands at 25 with 300 injured. There have been scattered reports of soldiers and policemen injured, but by far the Copts took the brunt of the violence.

Egypt's 2011 revolution marks the latest chapter in Egyptians' longtime struggle for greater democratic freedoms. In this video, Steven A. Cook, CFR's Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies and author of The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square, identifies the lessons that Egypt's emerging leadership must learn from the Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak regimes. Egypt's new leaders "need to develop a coherent and compelling, emotionally satisfying vision of Egyptian society, and answer the question what Egypt stands for and what its place in the world is," argues Cook.

Nearly a year has passed since the huge crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square rallied to overthrow former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Yet, the Egyptian public remains loathe to articulate a coherent vision for Egypt, and "that is the challenge going forward," says Steven A. Cook, CFR's top Egypt expert.

By Steven A. Cook With all the discussion of diplomacy (and its limits) and the robust debate about military action in Syria, the issue that haunts both is the nature of post-Assad Syria. Will Syria end up like Iraq? Like Lebanon of the 1970s-1980s? Both countries have suffered much from sectarian and ethnic differences that politicians have manipulated for their own ends. Or might Syria suffer far worse?

By Steven A Cook It is fair to say that Omar Suleiman's bid to be Egypt's next president is one of the most unexpected developments in post-Mubarak Egypt. The last time anyone had seen or heard from Suleiman, he appeared on Egyptian television and declared

By Steven A. Cook Since Egypt's Supreme Presidential Election Commission declared Mohamed Morsi the winner of the presidential election, there has been a lot of commentary about the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi, an engineer by training, was a long time member of the Brotherhood and was a member of its political department. Morsi has resigned from both the Brotherhood and its party, Freedom and Justice, but that is more symbolic than substantive.